Award-winning Hong Kong political cartoonist refuses self-censorship

Arto is a cartoonist from Hong Kong who won Best Political Cartoon in the 2016 E-Citizen Awards, organised by the civic groups Hong Kong In-Media (inmediahk.net) and the Culture and Media Education Foundation to promote original reporting, political cartoons, video documentary and photography online.

Arto started participating in local protest movements in 2010 when Hong Kong’s Legislative Council passed a budget for the construction of the Rapid Railway connecting China’s Shenzhen to Hong Kong. He said:

Translation

It is impossible for you not to speak up against the rotten system if you identify yourself as a Hong Konger.

Previously a graphic designer, he only started drawing online in 2011. At first he drew for fun; he published his first set, titled “Golden Creature Card,” on the popular platform Golden Forum. From there, he became an online celebrity. Later, his work became more political:

Translation

When incidents trigger emotion, anger, they turn into drawings.

Original Quote

你真係對於那些事一種義憤、有一種感受，就變了畫那些事。

But it is very difficult to develop a career as a political cartoonist in Hong Kong. Sometimes, his clients ask him not to use the name Arto on jobs because the name is too political.

In 2016, as he was collecting his online work into a book, the publisher asked him to remove some politically sensitive content. At first, the publisher referred to a drawing related to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party as sensitive.

Then they wanted him to remove content that carried China’s national flag and the flag of Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, arguing that the works might violate the National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance and the Regional Flag and Regional Emblem Ordinance.

According to the two ordinances, anyone who desecrates the flags and emblems by publicly and wilfully burning, mutilating, scrawling on, defiling or trampling on them risks a fine of HK$50,000 (approximately US$6,000) and three years in prison.

Photo: Arto via InMedia.

Arto said:

Translation

The incident is so ridiculous. How can you avoid flags in political cartoons? […] They worried too much. So far there is no case against Hong Kong publishers using those ordinances.

Original Quote

我覺得非常非常之無稽。畫時事嘢，好難避免畫這些圖案[…]而且我覺得是過份憂慮，香港出版界從來未試過因為國旗法，而不能直接出國旗或區徽。

He then contacted another small publisher and all the works were printed without issue. He criticiced the practice of self-censorship that is currently common in Hong Kong as pathetic:

Translation

You speculate that the government may sue the publisher, and so decide to censor the work. The whole incident goes against my principles. If I give in, similar things will happen again and again and eventually no one can draw the national and regional flags and emblems. Isn’t that ridiculous?

With the space for political cartoons in printed media is shrinking, Arto releases his works mainly online. His award-winning cartoon, “After the reinterpretation of the Basic Law,” was first published on his Facebook account with thousands of likes and shares.

He drew the cartoon after China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress exercised its unrestrained power to interpret Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, in November 2016.

That “reinterpretation” was in response to two Hong Kong lawmakers who altered the wording of their oaths to pledge allegiance to “the Hong Kong nation” instead of Hong Kong as a special administrative region of of the People’s Republic of China.

Photo: Arto via InMedia.

The Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, said politicians who do not correctly swear the oath will be barred from office, preempting a local court’s ruling on whether the two independent lawmakers should be disqualified for their actions. The move was criticised by many as hampering Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Arto could only express his anger and sense of helplessness over the situation through drawing. The result was a cartoon featuring the statue of Themis, which is a symbol of justice erected outside the old Hong Kong Legislative Council and currently at the Court of Final Appeal, draped by China’s national flag.

The weight of a hammer and sickle, the symbol of the Chinese Communist Party, tips the scale that she holds.

Arto attached the following comment to his work:

Translation

The most insincere, unlawful party wants to use law to judge whether a person is sincere.

Original Quote

話說，最不守法律、最缺乏真誠的黨，要以法律裁決別人是否真誠。

Arto believes that political cartoons can stimulate people to think deeper on complicated politics:

Translation

By using humour and light-hearted presentation, [the cartoon] can help people to develop an impression of social and political events. Then they may have the motivation to read more concerning the events. It is like a stepping stone. This is my philosophy when drawing political cartoons.

Original Quote

用輕鬆的手法，讓人一眼看懂事件的大概，再去讀比較複雜的資訊，就如一個踏腳石。我一直都以這個想法，去畫時事漫畫

Photo: Arto via Facebook.

Social media has helped him in his creative journey:

Translation

In conventional print media, you have to flip a few pages and find the cartoon. But ordinary readers may just read the front page and entertainment news. The internet is different, the cartoon can pop up anytime when you are eating a meal or sharing your status about everyday life.

The interview with Arto was conducted by Betty Lau, which was originally published in two parts in Chinese with InMedia on December 17, 2016 and January 23, 2017. The English article originally appeared on Global Voices.

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